Tag: Kirby Smart

Georgia hosts 4-star WR, recent Ohio State decommit Jayvan Boggs

Recent Ohio State decommit Jayvan Boggs visits Georgia…

Georgia football is making a serious push for four-star wide receiver Jayvan Boggs, who decomitted from Ohio State on March 26. Boggs visited Georgia on Friday.

The Bulldogs made their first effort by extending a scholarship to Boggs shortly after adding new wide receivers coach James Coley, who has strong recruiting ties to the state of Florida.

Boggs (6-foot, 188 pounds), out of Cocoa, Florida., is rated as the No. 24 wide receiver, the No. 27 player in the state and the No. 189 recruit overall in his class, per 247Sports composite. The Cocoa High School star currently holds over 20 offers.

Boggs’ junior season earned him Mr. Football honors in the state of Florida in 2023. His 93 catches, 1,500 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns are single-season school records.

Boggs had been committed to the Buckeyes since October. Georgia’s recent offer seemingly made a real difference in his recruitment.

Georgia currently has the nation’s No. 15 recruiting class in the 2025 cycle.

‘Not even at Alabama’, Kirby Smart on Georgia’s consistency

Kirby Smart wants dominance not relevance…

Kirby Smart’s goal for the Georgia Bulldogs is dominance, not relevancy.

The ninth-year head coach has taken UGA to an entirely different level since taking the helm in 2016. Since going 8-5 in his first season — excluding the 9-2 shortened season due to the pandemic — Smart has led Georgia to six seasons of at least 11 wins, including back-to-back national championships.

“I was brought here to win championships, but the thing I’m proudest of has been the consistency,” Smart told ESPN’s Chris Low. “I look back on Year 1 (when Georgia went 8-5) as a failure and not the standard, but every year after that we’ve been right there.”

Smart went on to compare UGA’s dominance to that of Alabama and his former mentor Nick Saban.

“Nobody else over that span can say they’ve finished in the top seven at the very end for seven straight years. You can’t find it, not even at Alabama.”

Despite two national titles and two SEC Championships under his belt, Smart believes relevancy isn’t the standard in Athens.

“We missed the damn playoff three times by being No. 5 or No. 6, so those are missed at-bats we would have had in this 12-team playoff. We’ve been relevant every year but that first one. But I want more than relevance. I want dominance, and we’ve been more dominant in the last three years. What I don’t want are the ebbs and flows or the one-hit wonders you see out there. I don’t want any player to leave Georgia without a championship.”

Georgia arguably should have made last season’s final four. The expanded 12-team College Football Playoff will give Smart’s Bulldogs more opportunities to make a postseason run each year.

Georgia included among top schools for nation’s No. 3 LB

UGA is once again in play for one of the top linebackers in the country.

2025 linebacker Tavion Wallace included Georgia among his top 12 schools on Thursday, per a report from On3’s Fawcett.

Wallace (6 feet, 1 inch, 210 pounds) plays for Wayne County High School in Jesup, Georgia. He is the No. 3 linebacker in the country, the No. 26 overall recruit and the No. 8 player in the state, per 247Sports.

The four-star recruit is coming off a solid year for Wayne County, totaling 75 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss as a junior.

Wallace is also considering Arkansas, LSU, South Carolina, Missouri, Florida, Auburn, LSU, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisville and Michigan.

Wallace has upcoming visits with Arkansas (May 31), Georgia (June 7), Florida State (June 14) and South Carolina (June 21).

It’s no surprise UGA is once again in play for one of the top linebackers. The Bulldogs reputation for recruiting and developing players at the position is the best in country, especially recently, with six linebackers taken on the first two days of the NFL draft the last three years.

Georgia will host former 5-star commit Justus Terry over the weekend

Terry will visit Athens after flipping his commitment to USC last week…

Five-star defensive lineman Justus Terry spurned Georgia football last week, flipping his commitment to the USC Trojans. That doesn’t mean his decision is final, though. He has since scheduled another visit to Athens.

UGA will host the Manchester High School (Manchester, Georgia) standout this weekend, according to a report from Rivals.

Terry (6-foot-5, 275 pounds) is the No. 2 defensive lineman in the country, the No. 2 player in the state of Georgia and the No. 8 overall recruit in the 2025 class, per 247Sports.

Terry’s flip led to a major uptick in USC’s recruiting efforts in the 2025 class, specifically in the state of Georgia. Terry’s decision was followed by a commitment from four-star edge defender Isaiah Gibson (Warner Robins), a UGA target. Five-star quarterback Julian Lewis (Carrollton) was the lone commitment in the Trojans’ 2025 class prior to the additions of Terry and Gibson.

There’s a recent example of a situation like this between USC and the Bulldogs. Columbus, Georgia, native Mykel Williams was committed to the Trojans in 2021 before flipping his commitment to Georgia a few months ahead of signing day.

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The 2025 cycle is still young, providing ample opportunities for Kirby Smart and staff to make another run at Terry, Gibson and Lewis.

Kirby Smart shares comments on Trevor Etienne arrest

Here’s what Smart had to say about Trevor Etienne’s recent arrest…

Georgia’s spring practice took a sour turn over the weekend as Florida transfer running back Trevor Etienne was arrested for multiple charges, including driving under the influence, early Sunday morning.

Kirby Smart issued a statement on the matter during Tuesday’s press conference.

“I would first want to reiterate what I said last week about the kid,” Smart said. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him. I think he’s a great kid, great person. We’ve gotten to know his family. He enjoys being coached. He’s a bright kid and we push him hard out there. He really loves the competition, but as we also know, sometimes kids don’t make the best decisions.

The older you get sometimes the tougher the consequences are for your mistakes. He’s not going to let this mistake define him. He’s embarrassed, upset and knows he made a mistake. It’s a teaching moment, and we hope he gets better from it.”

Smart also added that Etienne will be subjected to both university and team discipline.

Etienne signed with the Bulldogs this offseason after two seasons at Florida. He was rated as the No. 3 transfer tailback in the country, per 247Sports.

With Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards headed to the 2024 NFL draft, Etienne is considered one of the top options to get starting reps in Georgia’s young running back room.

Smart shared glowing remarks about Etienne in his opening press conference this spring.

“Everything we’ve heard about Etienne before he got here has held true, he’s a tremendous leader, he’s a high character kid, so he immediately surges into a leadership role,” Smart said at the opening spring football press conference. He’s not a first-year player. He’s been in our league and our conference, and he has standards and expectations.”

The Bulldogs will continue spring practice leading up to the annual G-Day scrimmage game on Saturday, April 13 in Sanford Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET, televised on SEC Network+.

Crazy Kirby Smart stat that could become a reality at the NFL draft

UGA head coach Kirby Smart could make history if (and when) Georgia has two first-round picks in the 2024 NFL draft

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart is 94-16 during his eight season career with Georgia. Smart has won two national title and SEC championships during his time with the Bulldogs.

Smart has an opportunity to have an insane recruiting pitch if the Bulldogs have two first-round picks in the 2024 NFL draft. Georgia has 15 first-round picks during the Smart era. With two or more first-round picks this NFL draft, Georgia would have more first-round picks (17 or more) than losses (16) during the Kirby Smart era.

Five of Kirby Smart’s 16 career losses came during the 2016 season. Georgia is not going to have a five loss season anytime soon under coach Smart.

There are four Georgia Bulldogs with a good chance to be selected in the first-round of the draft. Brock Bowers and Amarius Mims are both near locks to be first-round picks, so Kirby Smart’s recruiting pitch may become a reality sooner than later.

Over the past three seasons, Georgia has as many losses (two) as it does national championships (two). Additionally, Georgia has way more first-round picks (eight in the 2022 and 2023 NFL draft) than it does losses (two) since the end of the 2020 season.

Kirby Smart raves about Jared Wilson’s athleticism

“When you talk about athleticism at the center position, this guy runs faster than a lot of our defensive backs, believe it or not, our tight ends, our quarterbacks.”

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart loves the athleticism center Jared Wilson brings to the table for the Dawgs’ offensive line. Wilson, who is expected to start this season, is replacing All-SEC center Sedrick Van Pran.

Sedrick Van Pran is expected to be one of the first centers drafted in the 2024 NFL draft. Van Pran brought an elite combination of toughness and intelligence to the center position. His departure is a big loss for the Georgia offensive line, but Kirby Smart likes what he has in Jared Wilson.

“When you talk about athleticism at the center position, this guy runs faster than a lot of our defensive backs, believe it or not, our tight ends, our quarterbacks. His numbers are extremely athletics, over 300 pounds, can get to the second level as quick as anybody,” said Kirby Smart.

Wilson played in 13 of 14 games last season, missing the Orange Bowl. Wilson, a junior, has over 20 games of college experience and will anchor the Georgia offensive line alongside guard Tate Rateledge, guard Dylan Fairchild, tackle Earnest Greene and tackle Xavier Truss.

Jared Wilson notes that his background in soccer helped his athleticism. “I don’t really talk about this a lot, but I played soccer growing up, most of my childhood. I really feel like the athleticism came from that. But bringing it over to the center position I feel like is really unique,” said Wilson.

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Wilson had the opportunity to learn under Sedrick Van Pran for several years, so he had an excellent mentor. “Sed, his leadership, everybody knows about his leadership, it’s world renowned… I wouldn’t even have to go ask him a question, he would lead so much that he would say things that just would answer other people’s questions,” said Wilson.

Jared Wilson notes that he is trying to improve his leadership and blocking linebackers at the second level. He should be fun to watch in Georgia’s spring game this April.

Kirby Smart says Stetson Bennett is ‘doing well’ and hopes for opportunity with Rams

Georgia coach Kirby Smart shared an update on Stetson Bennett, who’s been working with Patrick Mahomes’ trainer in Dallas

Neither Les Snead nor Sean McVay could say definitively whether Stetson Bennett will be with the team next season after he spent his entire rookie year on the non-football illness list for an undisclosed reason. He mostly remained out of the public eye during that time, except for a trip to Athens where he was on the sideline for a Georgia football game in November.

Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart knows Bennett well from their time together at Georgia and he provided an update on the Rams quarterback this week. He said Bennett is doing well and working out in Dallas with Patrick Mahomes’ trainer, which Bennett recently shared on social media.

Smart also said Bennett is hoping for an opportunity with the Rams, or to land with another team if it doesn’t work out in L.A.

“Stetson is doing well,” Smart said at the Macon Touchdown Club. “He went back to Dallas to train where he trained last year. He trained with Patrick Mahomes’ trainer and some different people there. So he wanted to go back to that same footprint where he was training previously. The Rams still have him there. They have gotten other quarterbacks, but he’s hopeful that he gets an opportunity there or he’ll get picked up by somebody else.”

Smart indicated that Bennett spent last season in Athens at Georgia’s facility before heading to Dallas to train with other incoming rookies.

“He’s been in our place during the season and he went out to Dallas to train with the other rising draft picks, so he trained with a group that was one year below him,” Smart said.

The Rams have proceeded as if Bennett won’t be available next season, recently signing Jimmy Garoppolo to a one-year deal worth up to $12 million with incentives. Even if Bennett returns in 2024, he’ll likely be the No. 3 quarterback behind Matthew Stafford and Garoppolo, but it’d be encouraging just to see him on the practice field and in meeting rooms.

Where does Brian Kelly stand in On3’s SEC head coach power rankings?

Jesse Simonton of On3 released his power rankings of the top head coaches in the SEC.

Jesse Simonton of On3 released his power rankings of the top head coaches in the SEC. Where does [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] rank out of the 16 head coaches in the conference?

Kelly comes in as the No. 2 head coach in the conference. That only puts him behind one man, [autotag]Kirby Smart[/autotag]. This is fair because Kirby is not far removed from winning back-to-back national championships. He is also one spot above the new head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, [autotag]Kalen DeBoer[/autotag].

In his two seasons as the head coach of LSU, Kelly has won 10 games in back-to-back seasons. He went 10-4 last season and 10-3 this season. The reason why the Tigers had an extra loss two years ago is because LSU lost to Georgia in the SEC Championship.

On April 13th, we will get the first look at the 2024 LSU team as the National L Club Spring Game kicks off at 1 p.m. CT that day.

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Kirby Smart names Georgia’s spring practice goal

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart names his goal for spring practice

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart is excited that spring practice is underway. Georgia begins spring practice on March 12 and will be looking to improve its team ahead of the 2024 college football season.

Smart shared a dozen injury updates to open his first spring practice press conference. He then went to mention what Georgia’s goal is ahead of spring practice.

“Goal of spring for me would be to expand our roster of winning football players. What defines above the line and below the line is can you play winning football? We’ve probably got 30 or 40 guys that have proven that. We’ve got another 30 or 40 that have to prove that to get the team we need to have ready to go play the schedule we have,” said Kirby Smart.

This spring, Smart and Georgia have over 25 new players on the roster when combining the number of early enrollees and incoming transfers. Smart has previously harped on the importance of having depth ahead of the spring practice.

247Sports’ Josh Pate asked Kirby Smart what has his attention and concerns him entering spring practice.

“Depth. Depth at all positions. Like can we create offensive and defensive line depth. When I look across football the game is changing. Less big guys are playing… every NFL scout that comes in here and says we can’t find offensive linemen,” said Kirby Smart.

Georgia plays against 10 Power Five opponents this season, so the Bulldogs will inevitably suffer some injuries along the way. Georgia lost over 30 combined players to the NFL draft and to the transfer portal, so the Dawgs are trying to rebuild much of their depth chart.

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Georgia enters the spring with depth concerns at quarterback (only three scholarship players), tight end (Pearce Spurlin medically retired), running back (UGA lost its two leading rushers to the draft), and defensive back (Georgia lost three members of its secondary to the NFL). Georgia’s spring game is on April 13 at 1:00 p.m. ET.